austin



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JANE AUSTIN, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ADMINISTRATRIX OF THE ESTATE OF F. J. AUSTIN, LATE OF SAID CITY, DEOEASED.

MACHINE FOR CUTTING BOOKS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent- No. 41,337, dated January 19, 1864.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that F. J. AUSTIN, late of the city, county, and State of New York, during his life-time, did inventa new and Improved Machine for OuttingBo'oks; and I, J ANE AUS- TIN, of the said city, county, and State aforesaid, administratrx of' the estate of said F. J. AUSTIN, deceased, do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of said invention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure l represents a transverse vertical section of this invention, the plane of section being indicated by the line a: x, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a pla-n or top View of the same. Fig. 3 is an inverted plan of' the adjustable platform, detached.

Similar letters of reference in the three views indicate corresponding parts.

This invention relates to an invention in that class of machines for the purpose of cutting the faces and ends of' books; and the object of the invention is to arrange the machine so that it will clamp two sets or layers of books simultaneously, and that the faces and the ends of both sets can be cut without unclamping either set, and, furthermore, that it can be readily adjusted for booksof different sizes.

The nature of this invention and its peculiar advantages will be readily understood from the following description.

A represents a frame, made of cast-iron or any other suitable material, and provided with two grooved guide-bars. B, which form the Ways for theknife-head C. A rock-shaft, D, which has its bearings in the lower part of the frame A, is provided with two pinions, a, gearing in toothed racks b. which connect by suitable rods with the knife-head, so that by imparting an oscillating motion to said rockshaft the knife-head assumes a reciprocating rising and falling motion. The rock-shaft is operated by means of' a hand-lever or in any other desirable manner.

E is the knife, which is secured to the knifehead by means of' screws, so that it can be readily removed and sharpened in case it becomes dull.

The books to be cut are secured on a platform, F, by means of a screw-clamp, G, which consists of' a plate, c, suspended from a handscrew, d, and working between gages e. These gages slide in a dovetailed groove in the surface of the platform F, and they are moved toward or from each other by a right and left handed screw-spindle, which has its bearings in plates g, secured to the ends of' the dovetailed groove, which forms the guideway for the gages e.

The platform F is provided at its under surface with a pivot, h, so that it can be rotated in either direction, and its position is determined by a cam-groove, i, (see Fig. 3,) which catches over a roller-pin, j, and by stops 7c, which drop into holes l Z' in the under surface of' said platform. It (the platform) is set upon a carriage, H, to the upper surface of' which the roller-pin j is firmly attached, and the pivot 7L, projecting from the lower surface of the platform F, passes through a curved slot in the top plate of the carriage, and it has its bearing in an arm, m, that is pivoted to the under surface of the top plate of the carriage, v

so as to allow said pivot to sweep through the curved slot from one end to the other.

The cam-groove z' in the bottom of the platform F has the form of an ellipse, the major and minor axes of which bear the same proportion toward each other as the length does toward the width of an ordinary book.

By turning the platform F in such a position that the roller-pin j is situated at one of' the ends of the major axis of' the cam-groove the long side or the face of the books to be cut is presented to the knife, anil by turning the platform so that the roller-pin occupies aposition at one of' the ends of the minor axis of the cam-groove the ends of the books under the clamp G are presented to the knife.

The stops k, which retain the platform F in the desired position, are composed of pins projecting from the ends of arms 7c upthrough the top plate of the carriage H, and if' the roller-pin j is at the end of the minor axis of' the cam-groove said stops drop into the holes l; but if' the roller-pin is at the ends of the major axis ofthe cam-groove, they drop in the holes Z in the under surface of the platform F.

The arms k', which carry the stops 7c, are secured to a rock-shaft, kt, which has its bearings in the side plates of the carriage H, and which is subjected to the action of a spiral spring, k2, the tendency of which is to keep the arms lo with the stops lc up in their highest position.

A handle, ks, at the end of the rock-shaft kt, serves to depress the stops and to release the platform, so that the same can be turned freely in either direction.

The carriage H is supported by the table A,Wl1ich forms a portion of the frame A, and it moves backward and forward in a slot, n, which extends transversely across said table. A lug, o, which is firmly secured to the under surface of the carriage, forms a nut for a screwspindle, p, that has its bearings in suitable plates attached to the edges of the table A. By turning this screw-spindle the carriage is moved toward or from the knife E, and by this motion the platform F can be adjusted to different-sized books.

By the combined motion of the carriage H and of the gages c the platform F can be readily adjusted for books ofany size or shape,

and by means ot the screw-clamp G two sets or layers of books can be eut simultaneously, so as to save considerable time and labor in the operation of cutting.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The elliptical cam-groove z' in the under surface of the platform F, in combination with the roller-pin)` and stops 7c, all arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The 'gages e, in combination with the screw-clamp G, platform F, adjustable carriage H, and knife E, constructed and operating substantially as and for the purpose described.

JAN E AUSTIN.

Witnesses HENRY W. LAW, M. M. LiVINGsToN. 

